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Mustard spinach looks like it and cooks like it, but it’s not related to spinach. Mustard spinach, or komatsuma, belongs to the cruciferous family that includes cabbage and broccoli. Spinach comes from an unrelated family called Amaranthaceae. When an equal weight of each green is compared, spinach has more of most minerals, but both greens are good sources of several nutrients.

Basics

Nutritional values are compared using an equal weight of 100 grams for each green, but that translates into different serving sizes. One-hundred grams of raw mustard spinach is about 2/3 cup, while the same weight of raw spinach equals a little more than 3 cups. It may be difficult to obtain the nutritional value found in 100 grams in one serving of raw spinach. It’s easier to consume more by cooking it because 3 cups of spinach reduces down to about 1/2 to 1 cup.

Vitamin A

One-hundred grams of spinach and mustard spinach deliver more than 300 percent of the recommended daily intake of vitamin A. Vitamin A refers to several compounds classified as retinoids or carotenoids. Both greens contain the carotenoids beta-carotene, lutein and zeaxanthin. Beta-carotene has antioxidant properties, and it’s converted into the vitamin A that’s essential for vision and healthy skin. Lutein and zeaxanthin function as antioxidants in the retina where they may prevent age-related macular degeneration.

Vitamin C

Vitamin C exerts its strong antioxidant ability throughout the body, protecting cells from damage that leads to long-term health problems such as cardiovascular disease. It maintains the immune system by stimulating the production of white blood cells, and it’s essential for the creation of collagen, which supports skin and connective tissues. Mustard spinach contains significantly more vitamin C than spinach, but they’re both good sources. Mustard spinach has 144 percent of the recommended daily intake, while spinach has 31 percent.

Folate and Vitamin B-6

Folate must be present for the production and growth of new cells, making it important throughout your life but especially during pregnancy and childhood growth. Vitamin B-6 is needed for the synthesis of the neurotransmitter serotonin that regulates sleep and mood. Both vitamins protect heart health by removing homocysteine from the blood. Spinach and mustard spinach have the same amount of these nutrients. A 100-gram portion provides 40 percent of the recommended daily intake of folate and 15 percent of vitamin B-6.

Calcium

Most of the calcium in your body is used to build bones and teeth, but it serves other vital functions. It’s necessary for the secretion of hormones, it helps maintain normal blood pressure and it’s essential for nerves and muscles to function properly. You’ll gain 21 percent of the recommended daily intake in a 100-gram serving of mustard spinach and 10 percent in spinach.

Phytonutrients

Both greens have a bitter taste due to plant-based chemicals. Spinach is a source of oxalate and mustard spinach has sulfur-containing compounds that are only found in the cruciferous family. The sulfur-containing substances, called isothiocyanates, help prevent cancer by eliminating carcinogens from the body and by activating enzymes that protect healthy cells from carcinogens. Oxalate doesn’t provide health benefits and could create problems in some people because it can bind with calcium to form kidney stones. Oxalate consumption should be reduced or eliminated if you’re susceptible to kidney stones or you’ve been diagnosed with kidney disease or rheumatoid arthritis.

About the Author

Sandi Busch received a Bachelor of Arts in psychology, then pursued training in nursing and nutrition. She taught families to plan and prepare special diets, worked as a therapeutic support specialist, and now writes about her favorite topics – nutrition, food, families and parenting – for hospitals and trade magazines.